愣了愣

[Pedroski]

I have：

格兰仕空调生产车间负责人走过生产线时，看到一位工人正在抬起手臂取零件，她愣了愣，想：“这个动作有没有可能改进一下呢？”

 

她愣了愣， 想  = 'she suddenly thought', 'she, with a start, thought'  Is that the meaning of '愣了愣‘？？

[imron]

Where did you get the translation 'suddenly' or 'with a start' for 愣?

[Pedroski]

Thought it up on my lonesome!

[Tiana]

她愣了愣，想："..."

Perplexed, she thought: "..."

[Pedroski]

Thanks! Can you suggest some other word or phrase to replace '愣了愣‘ in that sentence?

[anonymoose]

目瞪口呆

[Pedroski]

Thanks! You mean it means 'she was gobsmacked'?

 

That doesn't fit too well within this context (看到一位工人正在抬起手臂取零件). Any less 'shock and awe' suggestions?

[Lianbu Zhou]

愣了愣 is used in the situation when someone comes across something which makes him/her confused or shocked and has to stop for a while to consider.

 

 

for example

 

听到这个消息后，他愣了愣，马上走了出去。

 

看见那个熟悉的背影，我愣了愣，想起了一位好久不见的老朋友

[Pedroski]

Thanks! In my context, I don't think there is really any suggestion of 'confusion or shock', but a sudden insight, which leaves her staring at this guy and thinking her thoughts.

 

Would you agree?

[陳德聰]

No it's not the sudden insight that makes her do that. In fact I think from the "context" of your passage, there is literally no mention of any insight she has at all. It's her trying to come up with something, but nothing is coming instantly so she is 愣住 for a moment.

[Pedroski]

And you would render '愣住‘ as what in English? 'startled', 'pensive', 'preoccupied', 'reflective(ly)', 'musing(ly)', 'absentmindedly', 'engrossed', 'in a transport', 'absorbed', 'abstractedly', 'atrabiliously', 'excogitating', 'in a trance', 'lost in thought', 'taken aback', 'inquisitively'??

 

Anything here that fits well??

 

Tiana suggested 'perplexed', which I like, but why would the woman be perplexed just because she saw a man lift his arm to grab a component?

 

How about 'she paused for a moment and thought, '...

 

Can I set 停一停 = 愣了愣？

[tooironic]

Don't think there is an exact English equivalent.

 

She stared blankly? Lost in thought? Momentarily distracted?

[Pedroski]

'staring blankly' sounds good, it fits with what I find under '愣‘

 

Maybe '愣了(一）愣‘ could be 'staring a blank stare'

 

I also find 愣 can colloquially mean 'unexpectedly', which made me think ‘愣了愣’ might just mean '突然‘， but I'm told that is not so.

[陳德聰]

愣了愣 is just like 發了一下呆.

 

In this context, she saw something and kind of had a moment of pause and wasn't quite there. Perhaps "draw a blank".

[Pedroski]

That Traditional Chinese is confusing! I couldn't make out 发！

 

Thanks, that fits nicely! I also found 发愣， which is approaching the meaning I think. In German I would use 'innehalten', that fits the bill nicely there.